Entertaining Angels Unaware
by I.M. Nohbdy
Summary: A figure from Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's past is resurrected, along with a story that has yet to find an end.
1. Default Chapter

Prologue  
A Sound in the Night  
  
Night has fallen over ancient Japan. As crickets begin their nightly songs, the tall grass that they reside in gently sways to the nameless harmonies. The pale moon ascends her stairway of stars until she has reached her platform of glory. Upon her completed ascension, she momentarily surveys all that is beneath her. Her beams gently caress the land, casting upon it a soft ethereal glow. The sudden stillness betrays an unspoken hope of peace. But moments of tranquility are nothing but that.moments. Suddenly, an eerie silence falls upon the land. The only sound that can be heard is that of a faint humming. That is getting progressively louder.and louder.and louder.  
  
=*  
  
"That noise has been increasing in volume for nearly an hour," mutters one of the soldiers standing guard to the city gate of Nagasaki.  
"Yeah.I wonder what the hell it's coming from," replies another, as he scans the surrounding forest. He seems to be attempting to pin point the origin of the noise.  
"Well, if I knew what it was coming from," states the third guard, who is also peering at the forest, "or just even where it might be coming from.I'd go and do anything to shut it up. It's the most irritating sound I've ever heard!"  
"Almost." the first guard says with a smirk. 'The only sound more irksome than that is his own snoring.' Stifling a laugh, his eyes fall upon the forest as he too attempts to dissect the shadows of the trees, from that of any possible intruder. 'Perhaps some bandits are about. Possibly even an animal? Or it might be a.' he shuddered at the thought that crossed his mind. '.a youkai.'  
The guards are so focused on trying to find out what is making the noise that they don't even notice the city's tono as he opens the city gate and approaches them from behind.  
"Ahem," the tono clears his throat. .  
Surprised, the guards jump back slightly. "Kya!" they shout as they angrily turn to learn just who has interrupted their conversation. Shocked expressions are plastered on their faces when they see that it is in fact the tono, who is now looking disapprovingly at them. Regaining their composure, they stand at attention and salute their city's leader.  
"Hai, Tono!"  
"What is it you ask of us, sir?"  
"We shall do whatever you bid us!"  
"Men," the tono lifts his hands to silence them. "So.it is not only the citizens who are intrigued by this sudden disturbance, eh?"  
The guards look at each other with worried glances. None are quite sure how to respond.  
"Tono," the first guard begins slowly, "it is true what you say. We have been curious as to just what that noise is. In fact-"  
"In fact," interjects the third guard hurriedly, "That's what we were doing just now. Looking to see if we could find out who's been making that noise."  
'Humph,' breathes out the first, 'what a suck up.'  
The tono smiles gently as he looks at the guard, who is now beaming at his leader. 'Like a dog begging for a treat from his master,' the tono thinks, shaking his head as he inwardly laughs. "Is that so?"  
"Yessir," the third guard exclaims, bobbing his head. "We were saying that we'd do anything just to stop that racket."  
"Why, that's excellent," tono says happily. The third guard is really excited now and is currently looking at his fellow soldiers quite smugly. The other two simply glare at him in disgust.  
'How pathetic,' thinks the second guard.  
'My god, could this get any worse,' sighs the first.  
"That's just what I was hoping to hear," continues tono. "I was going to assign some men back at the barracks the task, but since you appear so eager.I shall appoint you," here he points at the near ecstatic third guard, "along with your associates, the honor of discovering just what is making that din."  
"EH?!?!" exclaim all three.  
"Do you realize just how hard it is to get some rest, when all you can focus on is that incessant.screeching?" tono asks emphatically. "I am so tired.but that noise. ARGH!!" he cries, pulling his hair.  
The second and third guard are looking on worriedly, highly doubting the tono's current sanity. Meanwhile, the first guard approaches the tono. Concern is evident in his disposition as he places a hand on the leader's shoulder. The other two don't know how to take this.  
'What the hell is he doing?' thinks the second guard.  
"Jiiji," the first guard says reassuringly, "I promise you that we will do our best to discover just what that sound is, and end it as swiftly as possible. So please.don't over exert yourself. Unnecessary stress could prove fatal at your age. Try to rest."  
The tono sighs, realizing the wisdom in this. "Of course.you are right, Iwakan," he looks up, smiling appreciatively at the young man before him. "Where would I be without my grandson's good sense?"  
The remaining two guards stand in shocked silence.  
'G-grandson?!?' the third guard silently exclaims, mouth agape.  
'How could Iwakan not tell me such an important part of his life?' the second guard wonders as he watches his friend and their tono-his grandfather!- in conversation. 'What other secrets has he been keeping from me?'  
Realizing that his friends are staring, Iwakan turns to them apologetically. "I am sorry that I did not tell the two of you beforehand. I was just afraid that you would act differently if you knew of my family's status. I ask for your forgiveness."  
The third guard is already sidling up to him, trying to think of as many compliments as he can. "You are so terribly wise, Iwakan-sama. And handsome! Eh, the girls must love you. Speaking of girls, I have a younger sister.she's lovely. And of marrying age! Perhaps I could introduce the two of you? But besides that.my! How strong you are! Probably the strongest man in the city. Why."  
Iwakan rolls his eyes as the guard continues on his tirade. Turning to the second guard, he bows his head and asks with sincerity, "Please, Shugotenshi, will you forgive me?"  
Sighing somewhat sadly, Shugotenshi looks up at his friend and can only smile. "Hai. Iwakan, you know that I can't stay mad at you. I will not allow a simple secret to break our friendship."  
Lifting his head, Iwakan grins with happiness. "I am fortunate to have a friend who is so willing to forgive."  
Throwing a good natured punch at the other man's shoulder, Shugotenshi returns the grin. "You better not hide anymore secrets from me, ass. Or I might not be as forgiving."  
Hiding a grimace, Iwakan simply laughs and rubs his arm. Wistfully, he thinks: "You don't know how much I wish to tell you. So many things.that you can never know."  
"Ahem," the tono clears his throat for a second time that night. Iwakan and Shugotenshi are still smiling as they turn to the man. The third guard, who is still spewing flatteries towards Iwakan, suddenly realizes that he is the only one speaking. Blushing, he mutters, "My apologies, tono."  
"No apologies are necessary," states the tono. "What is necessary is that you three begin your search. I trust that you will do your best and return to us with good news." Rubbing his temples he privately adds, '..And silence. Bring silence with you as well.'  
Bidding goodbye and safe journey to the three men, the tono opens the city gate and slips through.  
"I suppose we should be on our way," Shugotenshi says, scratching his scalp. As he turns to gather his necessities, Iwakan reminds him:  
"We should have another group of soldiers take our place and guard the gate. I'll return momentarily." Turning to leave, the third guard stops him.  
"Oh, no, Iwakan-sama. Allow me to do that. You stay here and prepare yourself for our journey." Smiling perkily at him, the third guard ran off to the barracks.  
"Sometimes.that guy can really be a bit too much," Shugotenshi sighed, shaking his head. "That noise sounds like sweet music compared to the filth that pours out of his mouth."  
Smiling at his friend, Iwakan looked after the retreating back of the man they spoke of. "I do agree with you, Shugotenshi. But, although Ikkiichiyuu can be annoying as hell.I can't help feeling somewhat sorry for him."  
"Eh?" Shugotenshi glances at Iwakan questioningly, as they both continued to fill shoulder sacks with the materials that they will need for their task.  
"Well.it's just that, he always seems so unsure of himself. Like he doesn't think he's good enough or something," Iwakan met Shugotenshi's eyes and continued, "Since he finds himself inadequate, he's willing to do anything to find someone that will think he has worth. He'd have the world hate him just so long as one person believed in him."  
Shugotenshi nodded in understanding, amazed at his friend's ability to see past the faults of others. "You care about people too much, Iwakan."  
Lifting his pack onto his shoulder, Iwakan merely grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment", he stated happily. Glancing towards the barracks, he could see Ikkiichiyuu approaching with their replacements. Upon seeing Iwakan, the guard began to wave like they had been separated for years. Giving Ikkiichiyuu a tentative wave in return, he turned to Shugotenshi.  
"I'm going to start on my way, now."  
"WHAT?! And leave me with Ikkiichiyuu? That seems a bit cruel."  
"Don't take it like that," Iwakan said laughing. "It just seems like a good idea to spread out. Get this done as quickly as possible and all."  
  
Shugotenshi bit his lip, still not looking forward to having to deal with Ikkiichiyuu. Preoccupied with his thoughts of dealing with the nuisance, he didn't even pay attention to what his friend was saying, "Yeah, okay. If you think that's a good idea." Giving a parting smile to his friend, he sent him off, "You better get out of here before you-know- who shows up; or else we'll be here for days, just listening to him ramble on and on about you."  
"I'll see you back here in a few days!" Iwakan called as he ran off towards the forest, moonlight glistening overhead. "Good luck!"  
  
=*  
  
Blending into the shadows, she watched as he progressed towards her. 'Ever closer.ever closer.' She smiled darkly at his stupidity. 'I'd forgotten how foolish humans are. It's been quite some time since I've even been near one..' her eyes shone grey under the moon beams, '.alive, that is.' The wind blew strong against her kimono, causing her to look towards the sky. 'That noise is getting to be too close. It rings shrill even in my ears.' Glancing from the human to the village, she watched as the three new guards lay down in the soft grass; forgetting everything in their exhaustion. 'I've just enough time.' Her eyes lit with a sadistic joy upon seeing that the human was directly in front of her, his steps never faltering. 'To bring about her ruin.' he passed right through her, almost as if she wasn't there. '.through yours.' And without a glance back, she made her way towards the sleeping village, seemingly floating over the quiet land.  
  
=*  
  
The stars hanging in the sky seemed to quiver with her passing. The beating of her wings rung heavy in their hearts, singing the song of one in desperation. Of one in unexplainable love.of one overcome with the poison that is hate. They called out to her, begged her to return. But she dismissed their cries, focusing on the pain burning inside. 'I trusted you,' her mind screamed, blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight and star shine. Behind her, the heavens turned black; the sounds of thunder roaring across the skies in her wake. Even the whites of her eyes seemed to take on an eerie black sheen as she repeated her inner mantra: 'I trusted you. I trusted you. I TRUSTED YOU!!!!!' The howling of her wings continued as she approached the village in which she knew she would find her. Foreboding filled her being as she grew close enough to see her destination, and unbidden tears threatened to spill. The sky was burning.  
  
=*  
  
Screams. He could hear screams in the air. Turning, the scent of sulfur reached him even before the faint glow came into his view. His mind reeled as he realized what was happening. 'The village.is on fire?!!?' he thought, 'No.no!'  
"TONO!!" he screamed, running towards his village. Taking in ragged breaths, he prayed to any god that might hear him. 'Please help me.watch over the villagers. Allow me to run faster!! Please!' Blinded by haste and tears, he noticed nothing that surrounded him. The tree roots that tripped him, the bushes that tore at him.they were all insignificant. All he saw was his home. And it was burning before his eyes. He was almost through the forest now. Every rushed step brought him closer to the rearing heads of dark flames. They shone red, seemingly glowing with the blood they had claimed as their own. 'I have to get there.I need to save them.I have to-' he never even noticed the woman who had been floating beside him. Never saw the dark smile she gave upon unsheathing her darkened blade. Even now, he didn't feel the pain that he knew must be. His eyes fell to his chest, where an appendage seemed to have grown. He didn't need to reach behind him to know that it had gone straight through him. The moonlight illuminated the dark rivers that poured down his body, creating pools on the grass below. Drawing in a shaky breath, he lifted his head to see the face of his killer. Eyes widening in shock, he beheld her deceptively lovely countenance. A sole word escaped his lips:  
"Bijo."  
Drawing her face close to his, she smiled again. Unspoken hatred shone in her pale green eyes.  
"I have always wished.for your death, Iwakan," she said darkly. Violently wrenching the sword from his dying body, she continued, "I am glad that she hesitated. For it is now by my hand, that you are destroyed."  
She made as if to kick his crumpled body, but her foot only passed through him. Irritation flashed against her expression at her inability to do such a simple task.  
He quietly laughed at this. Even if he had lost the war, he had won a battle. 'She is unable to afflict me without the use of that sword,' he thought amusedly. 'At this moment, she would probably trade anything for a mortal body.though she'd never admit it.' He smiled a broken grin at her, which infuriated her beyond measure.  
"I have defeated you, human," she spat out the words in disgust. Her point was made even more apparent as he leaned his head to the side in order to cough up the blood that was slowly filling his punctured lung. "You have no reason to smile. All that's left for you now is to die."  
His smile still held, blood spilling out of his mouth as he spoke in short gasps, "I hope.death comes for me.soon then.so that I can rid.my mind.of your hideous.face, you bitch."  
Consumed by rage at the words of this impudent mortal, she raised her blade.  
"May you be devoured by the flames of Hell," she sneered, as she began to lower the blade.  
Iwakan closed his eyes in anticipation of the final blow. He breathed an apology to his village for failing them.a goodbye to any that may survive. He allowed one tear to escape his eye as he thought of one other he left behind with his passing. Longing to hear her voice one last time, he let out his dying breath. And in that moment before his spirit passed from this world to the next, he slightly opened his eyes. 'Kourui- kaki?' he mused. He almost convinced himself that she was there beside him. Succumbing to death, a tear fell upon him, burning through his skin.  
  
=*  
  
She had been transfixed at the sight of the village. The flames that shot through the sky.the smell of burning carcasses. She was afraid that he was amongst those that the fire ate. 'Just so long as he's alive,' she thought. 'As long as he's alive, I can heal him.' She began her rapid descent through the sky, praying for his soul. But suddenly, she felt something.a dark aura. Turning, she saw the shadows near the forest. Two of them. One was standing with something held overhead, while the other lay in the grass. In that moment, she knew.  
"BIJO!!!" her voice echoed throughout the heavens, as one of the shadows turned towards her. She shot through the sky, a trail of light behind her. The blackness filled her eyes, and rain began to fall as she drew closer.ever closer to this deceiver. An inhuman cry passed her lips as a flash of lightning filled the sky, surrounding her in its crimson light.  
Only a trace of fear showed itself in the Bijo. Because she knew that this.thing could not hurt her. Even in this rage, it would be unable to do any real damage. But she was unwilling to take any risks. So, as the gap between the two lessened into that of a few feet, the Bijo simply vanished. She landed hard on the earth, deep trenches showing where her feet had hit.  
"Coward!" she cried hoarsely, "Come and face me!"  
Moving about in the darkness, her feet made contact with what felt like a body. 'The other shadow,' she thought grimly. Bending down on one knee, she peered at the face. She cursed the clouds for blocking out the moon, keeping her from freely seeing just who it was that she held in her arms. Breathing in steady breaths, she gave herself a few moments to become accustomed to the lack of light, as the blackness receded from her eyes. Finally able to make out the details of her surroundings, she brought her face down to peer into the Bijo's victim. Her head shot straight up in sudden realization, as her pupils dilated to small slits. Her hands began to shake in fear of the truth, and she found it increasingly hard to swallow. 'It can't be,' she tried to tell herself. But looking down, she knew that it was him. Looking down at his face, she could've sworn his eyes flicked open once. But they also closed.and she knew they would never open. A single tear traveled down her face, a deep incision taking form where the embodied despair passed. Blood intermingled with the salt water as it hit his face, burning a similar groove.  
"Iwakan." she sobbed as the night faded into morning. 'If only I had remained as I was.I could save you, even now. But I wanted so much to.to-'  
The rest of her thoughts became muddled as she clutched his body to her own. Dark crimson paths meandering their way down her face, as the rising sun illuminated the death that surrounded her. 


	2. The Resurrection

Chapter 1...The Resurrection  
  
"Inuyasha!"  
Aforementioned hanyou grimaced at the volume at which his name had been said; his ears drawing close to his head in an attempt to block out the noise. He turned menacingly to the kitsune that was approaching him.  
'Doesn't anyone realize how annoying that is?' he thought as he placed a scowl on his tan features.  
"What the hell do you want, squirt?"  
The little fox demon paused a moment before delivering his message, drawing in deep breaths to regain some of the energy he had lost on his short run. "Kagome thinks that we should stop soon," he finally said.  
Inuyasha snorted at this. 'Stupid ningens and their need to rest.'  
"Well, you can just tell the wench that we'll stop once we've found another jewel shard," the hanyou snapped angrily, "And not a second before."  
"Oh Inuyasha," the kitsune replied with a small frown, "You don't have to be such a jerk about it! Everybody's tired! We haven't stopped to eat or sleep or anything for a whole day!"  
"And we won't stop to do any of that crap until Kagome can detect another shard!!" Inuyasha bellowed as he picked the kitsune up by the scruff of his neck. He threw the fox demon to the ground forcefully, smiling when he heard a loud 'thud'. "Go tell everyone that they better pick up the pace before I decide they're not worth the wait, Shippo."  
The kitsune sat rubbing his head, shooting daggers at the half demon. "You're so mean, Inuyasha! I'm gonna tell Kagome that you hurt me", here Shippo smiled. Inuyasha didn't like that smile. "You know what she's gonna do when she finds out how mean you were to me."  
"Feh," Inuyasha huffed, turning away from the child, "Like that girl could hurt me."  
Shippo shot him one last grin as he ran off at full speed, his screams of "KAGOME!!" echoing throughout the forest.  
Inuyasha covered his ears, his inner voice screaming in his head, 'Why do they always have to yell?!?! Don't they notice how much that goddamn noise hurts my ears?!'  
"INUYASHA!!!"  
'Apparently not,' he decided, as a petite girl came into his line of sight. A petite and angry girl. 'Oh no.' he thought with a groan, as the steaming girl came even closer to where he was standing. Inuyasha could almost swear he saw smoke coming out of her ears. 'She's really gonna kill me this time.'  
The girl, upon reaching him, drew her small form up in an attempt to look more intimidating. This failed miserably, and Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at how hard she was trying to look fear inspiring. Big mistake.  
"Osuwari!!" Kagome's enraged voice shot throughout the sky, making birds flee from their roosts in fear. The forest was once again returned to silence after this outburst, disturbed only by the muffled curses of Inuyasha. Kagome peered over the edge of the small crater he had made for himself, with the help of a certain restraining word as well.  
'Oops,' she thought as she covered a smirk, 'that was a little harder than I had expected.' Kagome smiled down into the hole as Inuyasha began to stir, the restraining spell apparently wearing off.  
"Have you learned your lesson, Inuyasha?" she asked sweetly as he stood up, brushing dirt of off his haori.  
After leaping gracefully out of the crack, Inuyasha turned to face her. "Feh, there was nothing to learn," he would've stopped there, but he was mad at the moment, "bitch."  
Flames filled Kagome's brown eyes, her hands clenching into little fists.  
"Inuyasha-"she began. "OSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARIOSUWARI!!!"  
Shippo, racing forward at the sound of the all too familiar word, turned back to the three trailing behind him.  
"C'mon you guys! We don't want to miss out on all the fun!" he cried with a sadistic smile. He charged over an incline in the trail they followed, his eagerness blowing away any semblance of patience.  
Miroku shook his head at the little kitsune's apparent happiness over the hanyou's pain.  
'Albeit, he probably deserves every 'sit' he receives,' the monk thought with a less than contained grin.  
"And just what are you smiling about, houshi-sama?" the young demon slayer beside him asked. Scratching the head of the fire cat demon in her arms, she added, "Hopefully nothing of.impure origin is the cause."  
"Why, Sango," he replied, casting a sideways glance at the girl, "where would you get an idea like that?"  
Sango whacked away the hand that had begun to inch towards her, a scowl darkening her features. "Let's just call it a hunch."  
By now, the trio had cleared a small rise in the well trodden path and come across a common scene. Standing a little ways ahead was Kagome, who apparently seemed to be venting to a hole in the ground. Sitting on her shoulder was a laughing Shippo, tears streaming down his face as he jeered at the half buried half-demon.  
"Ha! Inuyasha's probably halfway to the other side of the world after that sitting. The big meanie deserved it, too. That's what you get for being grumpy, Inuyasha! I didn't buy into your 'that girl can't hurt me' crap.betcha it hurts like hell now, eh? Eh, Inuya-"  
Shippo let out a small 'eep' as said hanyou emerged from the deep hole, face contorting in suppressed rage. As he approached, Shippo dug himself into the back of Kagome's shirt, peering fearfully over the collar.  
  
"Let.me.at the little runt," Inuyasha breathed in a menacing tone, knuckles cracking as his hands became fists. Kagome stood firm, arms crossed over her chest as she stared into the seething face of her companion.  
"No," she replied coolly.  
"What?" Inuyasha hissed. Shippo cast a quick glance between the two, as it suddenly dawned on him that this argument was moving away from being focused on him. Jumping as discreetly as he could from Kagome's shoulder, the little kitsune decided he'd best keep out of the way.just in case. Looking about, he saw a comfy looking spot that was close enough to take in the action, and yet far enough so that he could get a head start if Inuyasha decided to kill him. Plopping himself down, Shippo grinned as the fight grew heated.  
Sango and Miroku watched the exchange from their place on the top of the hill, eyes focused on one thing.or another.  
"Some things really will never change," Sango muttered, shaking her head. Miroku would have agreed with her, had he even be paying attention to what Sango was saying to begin with. Presently though, her backside was practically calling to his cursed hand. And, of course, who was he to refuse the desires of his ill fated appendage? After all, he was a firm believer in granting the wishes of the dying and he would wind up dying.one day.  
Sango was just about to make another comment on the fight- now that Inuyasha and Kagome were head to head, the human girl poking him as hard as she could in the chest- when she felt a familiar pressure just below the small of her back. Kirara growled as Sango visibly stiffened, her face glowing red. Twirling on her heel, Sango slapped the offending houshi as hard as possible without dropping her small youkai.  
"HENTAI!!!!!!"  
Inuyasha and Kagome stopped their bickering at the sound, looking up to see a clearly flustered Sango approaching them. Still frozen in mid argument pose (namely Inuyasha with arms raised and fangs bared; Kagome with her index finger shoved into Inuyasha's chest and a fear inspiring look on her face), the two could only watch her progress open mouthed. Moving past them a few feet to where Shippo sat taking in the fight, Sango plopped herself down, a light flush still evident on her cheeks.  
"I hate men," she muttered under her breath, as she resumed petting a still agitated Kirara.  
Shippo nodded in agreement as he full out glared at Inuyasha. "I know exactly what you mean."  
Sango smiled amusedly at the kit's apparent forgetfulness of his own gender, but her attention was soon diverted as Inuyasha and Kagome continued to wage battle upon one another.  
"Why do you always have to do such stupid things that just make me mad?" Kagome shouted.  
"Why do you always have to get so pissed off?" Inuyasha shouted right back.  
"I already said why!" she cried exasperated. "Because you always wind up doing something stupid!"  
"Yeah, I suppose saving your life all these times would be stupid," he angrily declared, "because now I'm stuck with an ungrateful wench!"  
"I'm not ungrateful; I only wish you'd be nicer!" Kagome huffed, turning her back to him. She blinked as she realized that he had insulted her.again. "And I'm not a wench!" she called, without bothering to turn around to face him.  
"Feh. Whatever, bitch." She could practically hear the smirk in his voice; the sheer pleasure he got in provoking her. Well, she wouldn't let him down. She'd put him through hell and that was that. At least that's what she was planning to do.until her miko senses kicked in.  
Inuyasha stood ready for another great fight, but it never came. Kagome simply stood there, her back still facing him in quite the show of disrespect. He tried to hide his surprise at the minimal reaction she showed to one her least favorite "pet" names. So, he waited for a few seconds. And a few seconds longer. His patience breaking at about thirteen seconds, Inuyasha ambled over to the still frozen Kagome and stood in front of her.  
"Oi, what's up with you, wench?" he emphasized the last word just to irk her, but she still refrained from responding. Bending over with a slight frown on his face, Inuyasha brought himself eye to eye with her. "Hey, Kagome." it seemed as if she was looking right through him. So he did what any decently curious person would do to get someone's attention: he knocked on her head.  
Startled out of her stupor, Kagome looked at him with her mouth still open to retaliate. He grinned in anticipation of continuing the fight, and thought he'd start it on the right foot.  
"For a minute there, I thought you'd lost your brain.then I remembered you didn't have one to begin with."  
But the rough words that he had been expecting did not come. Instead, she opened her mouth and silently whispered, "They're coming.fast. At least four shards."  
"What's going on?" asked a dazed Miroku, as he approached the group still rubbing his sore cheek.  
"Shikon fragments are coming this way," Kagome replied, turning herself away from Inuyasha.  
"What do you mean they're coming this way?" Inuyasha queried. "D'you mean around here or right where we are?"  
"Right here," Kagome answered, using her finger to point to the ground below them. "It's definitely coming for the shards."  
Sango, who at the mere mention of a youkai had changed into her taijiya apparel, approached Inuyasha. "So, we'll just stay here and wait for it?"  
Inuyasha looked over at Kagome for an answer, himself unsure since he couldn't smell any youkai approaching yet.  
"It's still kind of far away, but I know it's coming," she assured them, "and soon."  
"If it's still far away, why don't we just go after it?" Shippo asked, as he jumped up on Sango's Hiraikotsu.  
"Believe me, Shippo, it's going to be here really fast," Kagome announced.  
"She's right," Inuyasha said, while sniffing the air, "it's just gotten into my range of smell. I give it to the count of ten."  
The group became poised, Inuyasha unsheathing his Tetsusaiga, Miroku grasping the prayer beads holding back his Kazaana, Sango hefting Hiraikotsu and Kagome notching her bow. Kirara stood to the side of the road transformed in her giant fire cat form and guarding Shippo, who was prepared to perform foxfire if need be.  
A breeze blew quietly as the sun set before them, covering Kagome's confused face in a brilliant light. "It's here," she said, looking around at the open pathway. "The shards are right here."  
"Yeah, I can smell it, but where-" Inuyasha let his voice trail off as he looked down at the road below him. A look of surprised realization passed over him as he yelled, "It's underneath us! Get off of the path!"  
Sango and Miroku dove into the grass, while Inuyasha grabbed Kagome as a huge fountain of dirt and other debris filled the air. A giant snake youkai had sprung up creating a hole right where they had been standing. It hissed menacingly at them, flaring out its hood as it did so.  
"Give them to me.the shards.they are mine," it breathed, allowing the sun to glint off of its gigantic fangs. A drop of venom hung off the edge of one, threatening to spill. "Give them willingly.or I shall forcibly take them.and your lives."  
"Words never won battles!" Inuyasha growled, as he raised Tetsusaiga. Tilting his head slightly towards Kagome, he asked, "Where are the shards at?"  
Kagome focused on the snake youkai for a moment, sending out her energy to sense the shattered pieces of the Shikon Jewel. The mystical shards called to her and within seconds she had located them. "There are three in its hood, and one in its stomach," she replied. Looking at him she added, "And I mean it quite literally.it's in its stomach."  
Putting on a cocky smirk, Inuyasha lifted Tetsusaiga and said, "Then I'll just have to dissect this overgrown worm." Turning to Miroku and Sango, he said, "Distract him, will ya?" Without further prompting, Sango expertly threw her bone boomerang at the youkai as Miroku created some offudas. Kagome could merely watch as Inuyasha bounded off to face the agitated youkai, silently wishing in her head, 'Please, be safe, Inuyasha.' With that unvoiced plea, she ran over to join Miroku and Sango, letting loose a spirit infused arrow as she did so.  
  
=*  
  
Behind closed lids, her eyes began to stir. They were searching in the darkness for the source of her sleep's disturbance. A slight scowl found its way onto her face as she pondered this occurrence.  
'I should have never been awoken.the wish assured that I would never awake.' Her brows furrowed in consternation, until a thought entered her mind. 'Unless.'  
Film covered eyes shot open in sudden readiness, as the shadow of azure irises rose to the place where her hand remained clasped. Even her near lifeless eyes could register the glow that was emitted from within her fist. Grasping the object in her hand ever harder, she smiled as she felt it bite into her skin. The time had come for vengeance.  
  
=*  
  
"Goddammit!!" Inuyasha fumed, as Tetsusaiga merely nicked the snake's exposed underbelly. 'It's like this thing is covered in scales of steel,' he thought, hefting his father's fang. Letting out a feral growl, he rushed the youkai and swung his sword with as much power as he could muster. For all his effort, not even a drop of blood fell. Trying to keep himself from bristling in frustration, he clutched his katana's hilt and prepared to attack again.  
The hanyou's apparent dissatisfaction was not lost on his companions, who were also having a hard time with the seemingly indestructible youkai. Miroku was throwing yet another offuda at the creature, only to watch it slip off as if it were water on a duck's back.  
'I can only imagine how much Inuyasha's pride is being wounded now,' the houshi thought, as he decided that perhaps offudas weren't the best course of action.  
Sango had just caught her returning Hiraikotsu when she saw Miroku begin to run towards the youkai. "Houshi-sama!" she called worriedly, "What do you think you're doing?"  
Shooting a brief smile over his shoulder, Miroku continued to hurry to the center of the fray.  
"Damn him," Sango muttered, imbedding Hiraikotsu in the ground. Drawing her katana, she called to Shippo, "You and Kirara need to come here and help Kagome-chan!"  
As the two youkai scurried over towards said miko, Kagome could only confusedly look towards her friend. Sango, noticing the girl's reaction, smiled and tried to make light of the situation. "Don't worry, Kagome- chan. I just want to make sure that those two bakas are okay."  
"Be careful Sango-chan!" Kagome called to her friend's retreating form. Sighing, she drew an arrow on her bow, letting it fly in a streak of pink power. The arrow hit the snake youkai in one of its sickly yellow eyes, and Kagome pumped her fist in celebration as it released a pained cry. Sensing the snake's momentary distraction, Inuyasha decided to attempt to go for the kill. 'Might as well try.' he thought, as he jumped in the air to a height that was just below the snake's head. Slicing Tetsusaiga through the soft flesh that hung from it's jaw, Inuyasha was surprised when he felt it pass all the way through. Blood sprayed into his face due to the puncturing of one of the youkai's main arteries, as the sound of tearing skin and tissue filled his ears. Suddenly, Inuyasha was no longer staring at the neck of the snake; instead, he was faced with a decapitated carcass that was periodically shooting our spurts of blood with the slowing beat of the youkai's heart. He landed nimbly on the blood soaked grass, quickly sheathing Tetsusaiga and approaching the snake's head.  
"Hey, Kagome!" he called to the coming girl, "Move your ass! I'd like to get the shards out before this piece of shit regenerates."  
Feeling himself being tapped on the shoulder, Inuyasha turned to see a very unhappy Sango and Miroku. The two were drenched in the snake's blood, their hair and clothing literally dripping the sticky substance.  
"Warn someone the next time you decide to save the day, okay, Inuyasha?" Sango expressed through clenched teeth.  
"It's not my fault that you guys don't know when to get out of the way," the hanyou nonchalantly declared, turning towards Kagome who was on her knees picking the shards out of the hood. Sango's eyes flashed at this statement and she gripped her katana, ready to skewer the dog-eared boy. Seeing the all too well known 'angry eyes', Miroku quickly grabbed the girl's wrists and held them over her head, keeping his eyes on her blade the whole time. 'Please don't get mad at me.please don't get mad at me,' Miroku thought, imagining himself becoming a shish kabob. Why was it that he had to suffer for Inuyasha's lack in social skills?  
As Miroku wrestled with Sango, Inuyasha and Kagome were making sure that they got every shard. 'One.two.three.' Kagome counted, pointing out each one. 'There's still one missing,' she thought, looking towards the long, gore spewing body. Rising to her feet, she went to the body and scanned it for where she felt the jewel coming from. Knowing that the body would need to be opened in order to extract the shard from its stomach, Kagome motioned for Inuyasha to come over. When he was right next to her, she tapped the middle part of the corpse.  
"We need to cut into there if we want to get the shard."  
"Alright, then.just give me a sec and I'll hack this thing into pieces," Inuyasha said, lifting Tetsusaiga over his head. "Oi, Sango," he called, poised to strike the carcass.  
Sango, who was still attempting to writhe out of Miroku's grip, paused in her squirming for a moment (much to the relief of Miroku). Looking to Inuyasha, she honestly expected him to apologize. Then she saw the smirk he was giving her.  
"You might want to watch out, 'cause I have to save the day."  
Miroku let out a yelp as he ran to catch the taijiya before she put that blade into the hanyou's sorry hide. 'I'll be sorry if I can't hide after this,' he deliberated morosely, resuming his former position of holding the girl's arms captive. At this rate, she was going to beat the crap out of him.and then some.  
While the houshi was undergoing inner turmoil, Inuyasha was busy trying to cut open the snake's belly. The key word there is 'trying'. He was experiencing the same problem that he had faced in the beginning of the fight: really hard scales. Stopping to catch his breath, his pride and his good sense fought with each other. He knew that he needed help; the only problem was he did not want to ask for it. That's when Sango managed to throw her elbow into Miroku's face, causing him to release her as he fell into a swirly eyed heap. The angered girl ran past an objecting Kagome and lifted her katana to strike Inuyasha. Had he not been a hanyou, Inuyasha would have received quite the 'friendly' wound, but, as it was, he dodged her mere milliseconds before she struck where he had been standing. So, instead of hitting a rude baka hanyou like she had hoped, Sango struck the belly of the snake.  
'YES!!!' both Inuyasha's pride and good sense cheered.  
Sauntering over to Sango, Inuyasha said, "Feh. About time you served a purpose."  
Sango would have attacked him again had she not seen Kagome, who was bent over a semi-unconscious Miroku, making pleading motions with her hands. And so, Sango did the only thing she could do-strike the snake body and pretend it was Inuyasha's fat head.  
  
=*  
Shippo watched from the sidelines with Kirara as what he had come to know as his family argued. He laughed quietly to himself- so Inuyasha wouldn't hear him as easily- when Sango went after the hanyou. Although he was a little disappointed that Inuyasha was left unscathed, Shippo decided that he could annoy him later and, if the hanyou retaliated, Kagome would sit him. A big grin split across Shippo's face at this thought (and the further imagining of Inuyasha being slammed into the dirt), until he heard Kirara begin to growl. Looking up with his big, curious eyes, the kitsune followed the clearly tense fire cat's gaze to the snake youkai's head. Cocking his head to the side, Shippo was confused for a moment as to what was the matter. That was until the eyes of the supposedly dead snake turned and focused on him. When the snakes tongue shot out, Shippo knew that something was not right. Gulping past the lump of fear in his throat, Shippo's eyes stayed riveted to the snake head as he called back to his friends, "You guys, I don't think this thing's dead yet."  
  
=*  
  
Hearing the fear in Shippo's voice, Kagome turned to see what was troubling him. He was visibly shaking as he shied away from the demon head, which Kagome noticed seemed to be moving closer to its body.  
'I'd almost think they were trying to.' her eyes grew large as she understood, '.reconnect.'  
Quickly, she turned back to warn Inuyasha and Sango, who were both still busy hacking at the body. But her voice failed her as some form of electricity filled the space between the estranged body and head, lines of crackling blue light drawing the two together. As soon as the energy filled the air, the youkai seemed to come back to life, and began to thrash its body to rid itself of the two pests. Kagome could only watch in horror as Inuyasha and Sango were both thrown across the path and into the neighboring forest by the violent movements of the creature, the sickening sound of breaking bones filling the air. Craning her head to try to catch a glimpse of her friends while also shaking Miroku's shoulder in hopes that he would get up soon, Kagome realized that she was almost completely alone. She began to prod the monk's shoulder desperately, acknowledging that she would be in quite the compromising situation if no one was able to serve as protector. Feeling eyes on her, Kagome hesitantly looked up and almost cried out in fear due to what she saw. There, looming no more than forty feet away, was the semi-decapitated snake youkai, its head and body connected only by strings of blue energy. It glared intently at her, the arrow she had shot earlier protruding from its bleeding eye.  
"K-Kagome," a small voice called from behind her.  
"Yeah, Shippo?" she whispered, barely moving her lips. The snake youkai's tongue flicked out as the distance between head and body drastically reduced.  
"I'm scared," Shippo said, sounding near tears.  
  
The truth was, Kagome was pretty darn scared, too. But she couldn't tell Shippo that, or else he'd become hysterical. And Kagome knew that that would be a bad thing.she needed to keep that youkai focused on her, so that it would stay away from Shippo. Miroku chose to pick this time to wake up. Eyes focusing on Kagome's fear filled face, Miroku followed her gaze until it rested upon the practically reconstructed youkai. He shot up from the ground as if he had been shocked, Kagome following suit. Miroku kept his eyes on the youkai as he whispered to Kagome, "Where are Inuyasha and Sango?"  
"They were thrown off when it began to regenerate," she muttered back.  
"Kuso," he breathed out exasperatedly.  
"We've got to keep away from Shippo," Kagome said quietly, "I'd rather have this thing go after us than him and Kirara."  
'Even now she thinks of others before herself,' Miroku thought admirably of his friend. "Okay, just stay behind me and we'll keep it distracted."  
The snake remained focused on the two as they slowly edged away from Shippo. Kagome was starting to breathe in a sigh of relief, since it seemed like the youkai might not attack them. 'Maybe it'll just go away,' she thought optimistically. At that moment, the snake's disconnected body parts joined back together, giving it a renewed life force. It let out one ear shattering hiss before it raced towards Miroku and Kagome, mouth open in hopes of devouring them. Grabbing his staff, Miroku decided that, no matter what, he would not die a coward's death. 'If I had known that this would happen, I would have groped Sango at least seven more times,' he thought grimly. He felt Kagome clutch the back of his robes as the snake came within feet of them. Just as it was about to pounce on them, Miroku raised his staff and stabbed it into the snake's exposed stomach. He felt the staff slide into the snake's body, as he whispered a quick prayer to Buddha. And that was it...right? Miroku waited for the inevitable pain of death (he and his friend were going to be eaten by a snake so, yeah, he thought it might hurt), but nothing came. Looking up at the snake that stood before him, he could only ponder as to why it remained so still. Maybe Buddha had saved them by creating a time rift, like the one Kagome used to get back to the past! Looking around excitedly, he realized how untrue this was as he caught sight of Kirara trying to restrain a bawling Shippo from running to Kagome. Upon thinking of the miko, he looked over his shoulder to find her staring incredulously ahead of her, towards the place where his staff had entered the snake's body.  
'That's right!' he thought hazily, 'I need my staff, so I better pull it out.' So, he pulled in an attempt to extricate his property from the innards of the youkai. But it wouldn't give; rather, he almost lost his staff entirely as he felt some extreme force begin to pull it into the stomach. 'Wait.this can't be happening,' he considered, confused.  
When he saw the hand that popped out of the hole, firm grip sliding up the staff, he could not deny that this was happening any longer. He stared at it blankly for what seemed like eternities, before he noticed the light radiating from within the still transfixed youkai. Only then did he hear Kagome calling him.  
"Miroku. Miroku!" she cried in a frightened voice. Still behind him, she pulled on his sleeve, hoping to get his attention.  
"Hn?" he asked, though he sounded quite distant.  
"We need to back away.now," Kagome requested, dragging one of his hands free from its grip on the staff. With much effort, she managed to pull the dazed Miroku away from the light infused youkai. It was then that the radiance exploded.  
  
=*  
  
The warmth of the sun caressed her skin, willing her to see its rays, as she lay unmoving in the crimson stained grass. Her chest rose and fell in quick breaths, giving off the impression of one in a troubled sleep. She knew better, though-sleep did not come easily to those without dreams. And she had seen all of her dreams die before her. That is, all except one. It was for that bitterness that she lived.there was no reason, save for that.  
She involuntarily shivered as she felt a shadow fall upon her, obstructing the warmth of the sun. Something was touching her hand.holding it. Instinctively, she clutched the shining glass that she knew was still there. It had been there for seventy eight years, had it not? Voices reached her ears, their words slurring into garbled noise. But one word was audible above the rest. One word uttered as a small hand touched her forehead, innocent wonder tainting the voice:  
"Enzeru." 


End file.
